Power Is Not Strength
by The Unplanner
Summary: Being sealed under the Master Sword gives Ganondorf time to refine his next scheme, but a specific event from the War Across the Ages prompts him to look deeper. An introspective one-shot, post-Hyrule Warriors. Rated T for even mentioning Cia.


**Power Is Not Strength**

 _Summary: Being sealed under the Master Sword for the umpteenth time has given Ganondorf plenty of time to refine the next scheme, but a specific point in the latest aborted conquest prompts him to look deeper at what went wrong. An introspective one-shot._

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 _"Curse you, Link! Curse you, Zelda! Curse you as well, insignificant Guardian of Time!"_

I feel obligated to fume at the forces of good for a few moments every time they shove me back in here. The pattern is very familiar by now. I appear, conquer the land in a heartbeat with the power of the Triforce, and then that "Hero" appears in his green garb and seals me beneath the Master Sword for a generation or two while the Princess of Destiny undoes my work. This latest conquest was interesting only because the dungeons were so dull and the monsters were so numerous and daunting to compensate. Oh, and I suppose all the time travel that was involved will further affect the path(s) of fate from here on. It is largely unimportant, so long as the pattern continues.

I usually spend the decades beneath the Sword and the stone ruminating on the specific instant in which the Hero gained the upper hand and became able to defeat me. Here, the most obvious point was when I had him at my mercy, but prioritized obtaining the Triforce and conquering the land over his execution alongside the Princess. If I had decapitated them right then, the land would have been mine forever. Even so, I look further back, to an even greater humiliation.

 _"The Triforce...will be MINE!"_

When I first revived my body, I attempted to take (back) the Triforce of Power from Cia. She was no match for the Dark Power I have always had, but both of our magics were as nothing before the Triforce of Power, which she used to seal me away for a few short weeks. This is exactly why my first goal has always been to obtain the full might of the Triforce, but that night showed me why it's not working.

On the day I broke the seal (as I always do; I'm surprised the Hero has never used anything more permanent), Cia enacted a plan to nurture the darkness of pride and overconfidence in the Hero, then exploit that darkness herself. A masterful play, even I have to admit, though it all fell apart at the first moment his allies began one of those "friendship speeches" that the forces of good enjoy so much. As she created the first dark construct, though, she put the whole flaw in my plan very eloquently.

 _"Weapons are just tools for the weak to swing around. Only fools and men put confidence in them."_

The Master Sword has power rivaling the Triforce, but only if the user is fit to wield it. As for the sacred triangles themselves, their power is legendary, but they can be easily stolen and used against me. I've proven it myself on several occasions, but the problem only became clear when Cia stole that power from me. The Blade of Evil's Bane can only be such because of the spirit of the sword, that ridiculous construct called Fi. Its intelligence lets it prevent itself from following the commands of other Masters than the one it has selected. The Triforce has no such safeguards. And all the Power in the world is worse than useless when it is taken and used against me. The final blow that dispersed my demon form came from the Triforce, after all.

I noticed in the final days of Cia's campaign that she didn't use the Triforce of Power to strengthen her magic, even though she still had it. Instead, she ripped more power from her own soul, which was obviously even more moronic than relying on the unreliable Triforce. What she did was guaranteed to kill her. Using the Triforce would have been unlikely to work, but it would not have been certain doom.

There must be a way to gain that level of power without the obvious risk. All the quick and easy solutions have been exhausted, so the last way to gain power is ironically the way the Hero does it; through constant practice and constant effort, leading to constant improvement. There _is_ a reason he never draws the Master Sword without first defeating dozens of monsters and obtaining three "symbols of virtue!" I used to think Hylia was just being vindictive by including all those extra trials in her plan... Obviously, it works every time.

I often steal the powers and skills of others. The last time I will do that will be today, when I take Hylia's foolproof plan for myself! From now on, I will devote some time to training and gaining natural strength every time I shatter this seal, and leave that power behind as a starting point for the next cycle. By embracing the reincarnations of the Hero and Princess and my own endless life, I will grow beyond any force the Hero could ever match! The seal will grow weaker and weaker, shattering faster and faster as I gain power unimaginable. Then, dominion over Hyrule and the entire world will be mine at last!

I can hardly wait to begin. Perhaps my first test will be to lift the stones of this temple, and aim to carry this entire accursed place to _my_ Gerudo Desert using only my own muscles and magic. The Hero can never hope to restructure the world to that degree...but I will.

I should continue to use the Triforce, if only to distract the Hero from my true actions. He must expect me to have plans within plans by now, but he'll never suspect this.

Now would be the traditional time to employ my favorite demonic laugh, usually reserved for the high point of a particular conquest...

 _"Heh heh heh heh... Ha hah hah hah! AH HA HA HA HA...!"_

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 _A/N: Yeah, this is in the same vein as my other fic, "Swords and Selves," in that a little introspection goes a long way toward personal growth. Although of course Ganondorf "The Demon King" Dragmire isn't going to direct his personal growth toward the moral high ground. I think I just personally doomed Hyrule for eternity! Oops..._


End file.
